Exciting News Straight From the Founder of Shady Pines Story town
Becoming a Special Kind of Mom
And So It Begins
Dear Readers, in honor of Mother's Day I thought you'd like to hear from one of our neighbors who became a mom when she least expected it. Yes I'm talking about Edna Sanders. The day she and Harold adopted those two four-legged rascals her life changed forever. I'll let her tell you.
"Oh, for heaven's sakes," says Edna. "If you’d told me I’d be getting teary eyed over a dog slobbering on my good apron or a cat slung over my shoulder, I would’ve laughed right out loud. But here we are, just before another Mother’s Day, and I can’t help reflecting on the sweetest surprise life ever handed me and my Harold: the day we became fur parents."
New Family Members
"To say that adopting these two critters came as a complete surprise would be the understatement of the year. Or, any year for that matter! I won't get into exactly how it happened because my author friend, Mary Jane McKittrick, talks all about that in her second book, "Boomer and Halley Lost and Found -Learning to Live in a Blended Family." I'll just say it was a life changing experience for all of us."
"One evening, not long ago, I was sitting out on the back porch in my favorite big wooden chair that rocks a bit. I was admiring my garden of flowers that took such care to get to bloom. Boomer was lying on the ground gnawing on his favorite rawhide bone with his head on my feet. Halley was perched on the armrest. And that's when it hit me. I never had children of my own. Life just didn’t work out that way for us. But in that moment, with the late sun painting everything in a warm glow and these two babies looking up at me like I hung the moon, my heart swelled so big I thought it might burst."
I was a mama after all.
Not Always Easy
"Being a fur mom isn’t always glamorous. There are muddy paw prints on my clean floors, early-morning zoomies that sound like a herd of elephants, and the occasional “gift” of a half-dead lizard from Halley.
But there’s also the way Boomer leans against my leg when I’m feeling blue, like he can sense it. And the way Halley curls into the exact shape of my neck when I’m reading in bed, purring her little heart out.
There’s the laughter when Harold tries to teach Boomer to fetch. Sure as shootin' he ends up chasing the ball himself while Boom sits there grinning like, “You do it, Dad. They healed something in me I didn’t even know was aching."
Different Kind of Parent
"This Mother’s Day, I want every woman who’s loved a four-legged child to know this: your love counts. The late-night worry when they’re sick, the silly songs you make up for them, the way your heart lights up when they run to greet you—it’s all real mothering. The kindness, caring and love you show them is real. Fur babies don’t replace anything, but they sure do fill up spaces you never knew were empty."
"To my Boomerang and my Halley’s Comet: thank you for choosing us. Not sure who was most lost at the time, but I'm sure glad we found one another. You made my Southern heart a mama’s heart."
"And to every fur mom reading this—whether you’ve got horses, dogs, cats, birds, bunnies, or all the above—happy Mother’s Day. May your treats be plentiful, your lint rollers never run out, and your fur babies always know how deeply they are loved.
With sweet tea and even sweeter love, Edna Sanders, in the small Southern town of Shady Pines."
Halloween week is a special time in Shady Pines. All around town people are picking out costumes and pickng up pumpkins to decorate. Along with the explosion of fall colors and cooler weather, it's a good idea 
to head to the local
One mom I met told said, "If your kids don’t explore the outdoors very often, this is a great way for them to discover nature. Seeing how pumpkins grow out of the ground and are attached to vines is very educational. It helps them understand that pumpkins don't just show up at the grocery store automatically."
Do you see the colors of that butterfly next to the pumpkin? Being out on the farm you can just be amazed at Mother Nature. I think this kind of stuff is really cool!
I met another mom who told me, "From the second we arrived, my children ran off with smiles, but quickly, they realized how much work it was to be in a field of pumpkins. Even running took work since the vines were everywhere, waiting to trip little, toddler-sized running feet."
So a lot of kids don't realize it takes hard work to be a farmer. One young girl I met was getting a little taste of that. Just trying to push a wheelbarrow with a big 'ole pumpkin was something she hadn't done 
before. The other thing she said was that she didn't know pumpkins grew from tiny seeds. She also didn't realize that they come in so many shapes, sizes and colors. "It's kinda like people, isn't it?" she asked.
time for me to take the title back! The other reason I need to pick up some pumpkins is to inspire my mom. Around Halloween she likes to scare up some pumpkin dishes for us. I'm talking about everything from pumpkin pies to pumpkin pancakes. Here are some recipes for you to try: 
It's Memorial Day weekend! Now that most of the country is opening up, it will be more like business as usual for this 2021 holiday. Even though the pandemic is still a reality, and social distancing is still encouraged, we are slowly getting back to normal. The Shady Pines Gazette news editor, Zulah Talmadge, put out the word a week ago that she wants the people of Shady Pines Story Town to let her know how they plan to celebrate. Now, she's having a hard time answering all the calls coming in!
deal. The gathering this year will be larger than last year but folks will still be encouraged to stay in their own groups as much as possible.
There's a whole lot more to this story as well as another story about the importance of this day we honor every year. But to read more you'll need to grab your copy of the June edition of The Shady Pines Gazette. You'll find multiple pages of Stories, Recipes to Go and Features that are perfect to take on your holiday weekend getaway or wherever your plans take you.
What in the world? Right there, live on TV, images from the recent attack in Washington, D.C. show us scenes that are hard to believe. Here we are w
atching, in real time, as a political rally turns into an angry mob. Suddenly, this swarm of people storm the nation's Capitol building and overwhelm police. It can't be real. Could this be happening in America?
editor of The Shady Pines Gazette News. Being upset is understandable. But what can we do to cope? And, how should we help children understand how to be good when they see adults behaving so badly?
You only get to make one first impression, and how you introduce yourself often determines the kind of impression you make. This lesson is essential as it's a three-for-one learning opportunity: Showing children how to properly introduce themselves teaches them first, to share their first and last names with their new acquaintances; second, to look that person directly in the eye when speaking to them; and third, how to give a good handshake (a firm, but gentle squeeze is the name of the game).
Whether eating at home, a restaurant, or their grandmother's house, children should know the basics of dining etiquette and table manners. No, they don't need to know the difference between a dinner fork and a salad fork at the tender age of five, but they should know how to politely ask for someone to fill their plates or share the dinner rolls (after all, while we love
compliments.
Etiquette and good manners are all rooted in the most important lesson children should learn: how to treat people with respect. Everyone deserves to be shown kindness and respect, whether that's through saying "yes sir" and "no ma'am," offering a smile, or holding the door.
It's time to say good-bye to 2020. I'm Zulah Talmadge, editor of The Shady Pines Gazette. 
If you're like most of our readers, you can't wait to get this year behind you. Any way you look at it, this has been a roller coaster year!
In 2020 the pandemic forced us to make changes. An out of control virus has a way of making us alter our lifestyle whether we want to or not. Otherwise, we are at risk of getting really sick, or worse.
I've met a whole bunch of people in Shady Pines who've learned all kinds of exercise programs online this year.
You can do these things and more by yourself or with others by setting up screen to screen time. Staying connected is a good way to ease the lonliness that a lot of us have been feeling.
good for him. Keeping that mind of his busy is always a challenge, too. 
There's just one thing. Edna hasn't told Boomer about her idea yet and she has no clue how Halley's Comet will react. Edna is considering whether Boomer and Halley can take the training together.